1.5 Protection of confidential sources of information is guaranteed by law ANALYSIS: There is no law protecting sources or confidential sources of information in Malawi. In the absence of such law however, journalists are guided by journalistic codes and conventions such the Media Council Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for safeguarding such sources. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 1.6 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 2, 2 1.4 (2006 = 2.4) Public information is easily accessible, guaranteed by law, to all citizens including journalists ANALYSIS: Section 37 of the Constitution obliges lawmakers to pass an appropriate Act to guarantee access to information. A Bill to that effect, called The Access to Information Bill has been in place over the past two years. It is yet to be passed into law. In the absence of such a law, many organizations are investing in offices of Public Relations to manage external information requirements. The media have also invested in a lot of goodwill amongst their sources, such that leaks are not unfamiliar as a result. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 1.7 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 2, 1, 2 1.9 (2006 = 1.8) Civil Society in general and media lobby groups actively advance the cause of media freedom ANALYSIS: There is a large surface area for the interface between the media and civil Society. It is a symbiotic relationship that has allowed each sector to advance its cause by drawing support from the other. Civil society places considerable advertising in the media and where there are incidences of media infringement it is not unusual for civil society to rally up to the media. For most of civil society campaigns, there is always a media component that concretizes the interface between the two sectors. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: So This Is Democracy? 2008 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 3.0 (2006 = 4.1) -180- Media Institute of Southern Africa